


fresh

by helicases



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Non-Famous, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Food, M/M, Makeup, YouTuber Lee Donghyuck | Haechan, YouTuber Na Jaemin
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-18
Updated: 2020-09-18
Packaged: 2021-03-06 23:35:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,082
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26247256
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/helicases/pseuds/helicases
Summary: Donghyuck barely has time to sleep between research, working on his undergrad thesis, and uploading videos tosunny side up, hismukbangchannel. But when he promises his best friends he'll at least consider a collaboration series withnanamua💋, well. He's not going to let them down.
Relationships: Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Na Jaemin
Comments: 2
Kudos: 56
Collections: nahyuck fic fest!





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Written for prompt #0134.
> 
> Many thanks to the prompter and the mods for giving me something fun to work with (and for being encouraging and accommodating), and also to my friends and beta ♥️

“I don't want to,” Donghyuck says, cutting Mark off.

“What? Why not?”

“Absolutely not.”

“Hyuck, that's not an answer.”

“I think it is,” Donghyuck frowns, crossing his arms over his chest. “Why does it matter to you anyway? You won't even be here then. Why do you care?” 

He knows the words are the wrong ones as soon as they leave his mouth, but the belated self-awareness does nothing to soften the blow of seeing his best friend's face crumple.

“Donghyuck, I'm not going away forever,” Mark says softly.

Donghyuck kicks the blanket off and slides down from his chair to sit on the floor. He pats the space beside him and is grateful when Mark folds himself down to join him. They lean back against the side of Donghyuck's bed and this time, Donghyuck weighs the words in his mouth before speaking. 

“I know you're not,” he says, more to the ground than to Mark, but he knows Mark is listening. “I'm sorry.”

Mark shoves at his shoulder. “I know you are. Look, Jeno and I just want you to give it a shot, okay? Just meet the guy. I'm not — I'll come visit when I can and I know you're all going to message and call me all the time. But I’m not going to be here to be a guest on your videos, and I know you're really busy. I still want you to have fun, though.”

“I have plenty of fun by myself,” Donghyuck scoffs. “I'm a fucking delight.”

Mark laughs. “Yes, but I know you like sharing.”

Donghyuck sighs heavily. “You'd better not tell anyone that. I have a reputation to uphold.”

“Scout’s honor,” Mark says, holding up a hand.

“You're not a Boy Scout, hyung. That means nothing to me.”

“But _I_ mean something to you,” Mark counters.

Donghyuck barely has to glare at him before Mark makes a distressed noise and full-body cringes.

“Moving on,” Mark says. “Jeno will catch up with you at the library to go over details since you’ll be meeting two new people. You don’t have to agree to the collaboration, but please just — please give it a shot, okay?”

Donghyuck pulls his sleeves down over his hands and presses a fist against Mark’s thigh, just above his knee. Mark makes a very obviously fake pained noise, like he was punched, and Donghyuck smiles despite himself. 

“Fine. You’re buying me coffee and a meal before you leave, though.”

“Sure. If you say so.” Mark laughs, placing a hand over Donghyuck’s fist, and he doesn’t pull away when Donghyuck flips their hands over and holds on tight.

**

"He's late," Donghyuck says for the seventh time, and although he won't admit it, he probably deserves the balled up piece of paper Jeno throws at his face. He musters a halfhearted protest and Jeno holds up another piece of paper threateningly. "Wow, calm down, Jeno-yah."

“Calm down? I’m doing fine but you’re stressing me out. Keep talking and you’ll be eating this next piece of paper.”

“They say fiber is an important part of a balanced diet,” Donghyuck says, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. “But that seems wasteful, don't you think?”

Donghyuck can't say he’s surprised when Jeno lunges at him. He also can't stop or dodge him. Jeno's just too fast and way too determined to try to throttle Donghyuck. 

“Hey,” Donghyuck wheezes. Jeno loosens his chokehold so he can speak more freely. “Aren't we supposed to make a good first impression?”

Jeno releases him and Donghyuck rubs at his neck even though he wasn't hurt. 

“You're so violent.”

“Me? Remember that time you —”

“Okay, noted, never mind.”

“If this goes well, you have to go home after,” Jeno says. 

“I don't understand why I can't just stay here to do more research or to work on homework. This is a library, Jeno. I'm giving the library _purpose_.”

“You've been here for six hours. I saw you throwing away coffee cups when I got here. You weren't sneaky or fast enough to hide them. I bet you haven't eaten yet either, despite how often you tell the rest of us not to skip meals. Have you slept at all in the past twenty-four hours?”

“I can't believe you spied on me.” Donghyuck focuses on that instead of the rest of Jeno's accusations. 

“It's not spying if everyone can see you.”

“Do you know who can't see me? The people who were supposed to meet us twenty minutes ago.”

Jeno pinches the bridge of his nose and groans. “They're late, I know. Believe me, I know.”

Donghyuck directs his glare at the door, waiting for Na Jaemin and his friend Huang Renjun to appear. He knows what the former looks like because he scrolled through Jaemin's YouTube video feed last night. The latter, he assumes he'll know when he sees him. Donghyuck wanted to know what he was agreeing to, and apparently that was working with a prolific amateur makeup artist. Jaemin had looks for all occasions, some subtle but radiant and others vibrant and demandingly eye-catching. Donghyuck wonders what his “I'm late and so is my friend” look is like. 

Donghyuck and Jeno don't have to wait much longer to find out, because Jaemin is led through the doors and into the library by a smaller man with blond hair, a firm grip on Jaemin's arm, and a blazing expression on his face. 

“At least his friend looks pissed too,” Jeno says quietly. 

“Now we know who to blame,” Donghyuck agrees.

“Should we get up now?”

“Probably. They're moving fast.”

Donghyuck and Jeno rise in unison from their seats as the other pair approaches their table. 

“Hello,” says the smaller one, thrusting Jaemin forward hard enough for him to stumble. He jabs Jaemin in the back and they both bow briefly in greeting. Donghyuck and Jeno return the gesture, exchanging a glance on the way down.

“I'm Huang Renjun, it's nice to meet you.” Renjun elbows Jaemin in the side. His smile is sweet but Donghyuck sees danger lurking barely beneath the surface. Yeah, he's definitely pissed. Donghyuck can relate. He thinks he likes Renjun. 

“Na Jaemin,” says Jaemin, rubbing his back and grimacing.

“Lee Jeno, Lee Donghyuck,” Jeno says, pointing.

“Can we take a seat?” Renjun asks. 

“Of course.” Jeno shoots a glare at Donghyuck, who schools his own expression into something more open and agreeable, two things he is not feeling right now. 

“When were you born?” Renjun asks. 

“2000, both of us,” Jeno says. 

Jaemin lights up and the brightness is jarring. “Us too!”

His excitement is just infectious enough for everyone to insist on dropping honorifics before launching into possible concepts. Makeup inspired by food, snacks inspired by or shaped like makeup. Renjun has sketches to share, slowly taking up more space on the table. Donghyuck moves some of his books, papers, and pens around to give him room. 

On the surface, it sounds fun. Renjun's sketches are rough, scratchy lines with the smallest splashes of color, but they're pretty. If Donghyuck wasn't suffering through papers, evaluations, required weekly readings, and strained eyesight due to blurry PDF scans of chapters, he would at the very least match Jaemin's enthusiasm. As it is, Donghyuck struggles to stay focused and on pace with the conversation. 

Jeno was right — Donghyuck hasn't slept in the past twenty-four hours, unless you count the twenty minute nap he took at some point between four and six this morning. Their second-best-friend psychic link must be working today, because Jeno glances over at him and puts a comforting hand on his knee. Donghyuck nods and Jeno leaves it there, keeping Donghyuck grounded. 

Donghyuck tries to contribute to the conversation — he has vague ideas in mind, focusing more on collaboration across their channels than inspiration by each other — but the way Jeno keeps glancing at him suggests his efforts are lackluster. 

“We have to work together to make it seem less like we're just guests for show,” Donghyuck says, and the three others turn to look at him in unison. He raises a brow and Jaemin's mouth slants up into a smile. 

“Good point,” Jaemin says. 

“What do you think?” Jeno asks. 

“Me?” Renjun sits back in his chair and adjusts his glasses. Jeno's fingers twitch where they're still resting on Donghyuck's knee. “Honestly, I don't think Jaemin and Donghyuck-ssi have any chemistry.”

“Just Donghyuck is fine,” Donghyuck reminds him. 

“Donghyuck,” Renjun tries again, “I'm sure you and Jaemin could fake it for three episodes, but I imagine that would be miserable.”

“What do you suggest?” Donghyuck asks. Jeno taps his knee appreciatively and Donghyuck can't help but smile. 

Renjun shrugs. “Maybe you should hang out one on one. Finalize details, try to get to know each other better.”

 _Great. More time lost,_ Donghyuck thinks, and immediately feels bad about it. He can picture Mark's “trying not to look disappointed” eyes, and he shudders. 

“And how do you feel about that, Jaemin?” Donghyuck asks. 

“I would love to go on a date with you,” Jaemin says, sugary sweet. Renjun rolls his eyes like Donghyuck wants to. 

“Let me check my calendar, then,” Donghyuck drawls. He winks and Renjun puts his face in his hands. 

Phones and more notebooks emerge. Jeno tries to take Donghyuck's phone to zoom in on his calendar but gets his hands swatted away. They squish together to check the next couple of days, a week out at the most. If they wait too long, other obligations might ruin their plans. On the other side of the table, Renjun pokes Jaemin until he slumps down so Renjun can look over his shoulder at a small, cute planner and Jaemin's phone. 

“You forgot to mark tomorrow night as busy,” Renjun says, and Jaemin makes a small noise of acknowledgement.

Donghyuck has time blocked out for reading, research, and writing. Dongyoung nags him to add time for eating and sleeping, but Donghyuck only has so many hours he can trade out and not fall further behind. Dongyoung nags Jeno and Jungwoo too, as if their proximity to Donghyuck would give them greater influence. Donghyuck's roommate Jungwoo is sweet but terrifying when he wants to be, so when Jungwoo isn't busy with grad school, Donghyuck gets more sleep and mandatory, extra cuddles.

Jungwoo is sweet and terrifying and very good at keeping secrets, so he is the only one who knows close to the full extent of Donghyuck's stress. How sometimes, Donghyuck wonders if he made the wrong choice. If his passion for history — which was strong enough for Donghyuck to argue and convince his parents to let him go for it — wasn't as strong as it used to be. If he wasn't strong enough. If some other field would be more practical. 

“Is all of that worth it?” Renjun asks, and Donghyuck startles hard enough for Jeno's hand to slip off his knee. He tugs it back in place and lets go, glancing up to see Renjun pointing at a section of Jaemin's planner. 

Oh. 

Jaemin laughs. “Yeah, I'm really busy, but it would be a waste to drop out, don't you think?”

_Oh._

Renjun glances up before Donghyuck’s expression can shutter closed. Jaemin does not, still preoccupied with his phone. Jeno squeezes his knee, no doubt feeling the way Donghyuck tensed under his palm. Donghyuck's smile is brittle. 

“Two days from now?” Jaemin asks, and the atmosphere at the table shifts. Donghyuck breathes a sigh of relief. 

“Sure, that would be fine.” Donghyuck adds an appointment to his calendar and breathes slowly.

“We should exchange numbers or KaTalk IDs, if that's okay with you,” Jaemin says.

Phones go around in a circle that only excludes Jeno, who apparently already has Renjun and Jaemin's contact information. Donghyuck wasn't expecting to get both of their numbers, but Renjun acts like it's not a big deal and perhaps even a service to ensure everyone can reach Jaemin or, at the very least, someone who can reach him. Donghyuck does the same thing with Mark, who is much worse at responding to messages on time. 

Jaemin hesitates before adding a bunny emoji to his name and swapping phones with Donghyuck. Donghyuck locks his and places it face down on the table, but Jaemin's phone buzzes several times when it returns to his hands. He skims his notifications and turns to Renjun.

“Injunnie,” he starts, and Renjun rolls his eyes. 

“We have to go,” Renjun says, pushing his chair back so he can stand. “It was nice to meet you. Unfortunately, Jaemin is constantly overbooked.”

He gathers his sketchbook and pens while Jaemin looks at the table and the now messy spread of books and papers forlornly. Jaemin shakes his head as if to clear his thoughts. 

“I'll message you later, okay?” Jaemin smiles at Donghyuck and Jeno in turn while sweeping the nearest items into his bag. He shakes it until everything settles so he can zip it up and Donghyuck winces. His phone buzzes again, five times in rapid succession. “Oh no,” he says, eyes going wide. “Bye! Have a nice day.” 

The table lurches when Jaemin stands and bumps it with his knee, and Jeno’s hands shoot out to steady it. 

“Sorry, I —” Jaemin's phone buzzes three more times and Renjun snatches it out of his hand. 

“We really have to go. I'll see you later,” Renjun says apologetically. “I'll remind him to message you.”

“Bye,” Jeno says, and Donghyuck echoes him after a half-beat delay. 

Jaemin gives them a jaunty little wave and Renjun shoves his phone into his chest. 

“Go, Jaemin, you can't be late to every important meeting you have today.” Jaemin flushes and Renjun uses the momentary distraction to start dragging Jaemin toward the exit. 

“They seem nice,” Jeno says. In the distance, Jaemin tries to tug his arm out of Renjun's grip and gets yanked down for a flick to the forehead. Jaemin yelps and Renjun shoves him through the library door. Jeno winces. 

“Yeah,” Donghyuck agrees. When the door closes and they can no longer see Renjun or Jaemin, Donghyuck says, “I'm fine.”

“I didn't say anything.”

“I'm okay.”

Jeno sighs. “Let's go, yeah?”

All the fight from before the meeting has left Donghyuck, so he stacks his texts and notebooks and tucks them into his bag mechanically, body on autopilot. 

“If you promise to go home, I'll pay for takeout,” Jeno offers, putting a hand on Donghyuck's shoulder. 

He shrugs him off. “Just come over and I'll cook something.”

“That's not resting.”

“It's not studying, though, so it's allowed. Do you want food or not?”

Jeno groans, grabs Donghyuck by the face, and stares at him for a few moments. 

“What is _wrong_ with you?” Donghyuck tries to say with squished cheeks.

“There you are,” Jeno says warmly and nonsensically, releasing him. He follows Donghyuck home, uses his killer puppy dog eyes to con Jungwoo out of the last scoop of fried rice, and barricades Donghyuck in his own bathroom after with a cry of, “Shower and take a fucking nap!”

Jungwoo cackles, the traitor, but promises cuddles and an hour of dramatic poetry reading if Donghyuck complies. Donghyuck turns on the shower and rolls his eyes at the twin whoops of delight outside the bathroom. 

He doesn't think about dropping out again for a while.


	2. Chapter 2

Jaemin is late. 

Again. 

This time, Donghyuck is expecting the delay, but that doesn't mean he's any less stressed about it. It doesn't help that he feels worn thin this morning, stretched further than he has been in weeks. Months, maybe. Donghyuck honestly isn't sure how much longer he can wait for Jaemin before the urge to abandon ship and message Jaemin to reschedule becomes irresistible. 

Donghyuck sighs, the sound shuddery on the exhale, and he reaches for his phone. 

“Donghyuck! Hi! Thank you for waiting!” Jaemin appears in a rush, hair windswept, and face a warm pink. He hunches over a little, hands on his thighs, trying to catch his breath. 

Oh no. Jaemin _ran_. Donghyuck's throat constricts and he focuses on carefully tucking his phone back into his pocket so he doesn't do something stupid like cry with relief. 

“My meeting ran over this morning. It was supposed to be done half an hour ago,” Jaemin wheezes. 

“Right,” Donghyuck says, clipped, and he ignores the way Jaemin's gaze cuts over to him. 

“Right,” Jaemin echoes. He straightens up and uses the window behind Donghyuck as a mirror to fix his hair. “Have you been here before?”

Donghyuck shrugs. “Maybe once or twice.”

“Oh, good! We should go inside,” Jaemin says, and he opens the door for Donghyuck, tucking his bag close to his chest so it doesn't get in Donghyuck's way. The bag is unzipped and has a few papers sticking out of the top, but Jaemin seems to have it under control, so Donghyuck doesn't say anything or offer to close it for him. “Their coffee is great and they rarely scold me for my order. Where would you like to sit?”

“What?”

“The booths in the back are nice, but there are few open tables by the windows.”

“Don't we order at the counter first?”

“Well yes, but I was late, so I can order for us and you can pick a table. What would you like?”

“You don't have to,” Donghyuck frowns. He pats his pockets and confirms that yes, he does have both his phone and his wallet. He swallows down a bitter laugh, because at least he hasn't lost those too. 

“No, I don't, but I'd like to,” Jaemin says patiently. 

Donghyuck meets his gaze and sees a flash of worry on his face. Guilt sinks like a stone in his stomach and Donghyuck swallows thickly. “Okay, a latte would be nice. Thank you.”

Jaemin watches his face for another moment before nodding. “I'll be right behind you.”

Donghyuck picks a spot in a corner of the café, with plenty of space between them and the nearest table. This way, if Donghyuck really can't keep it together, at least he'll have some distance from the other patrons. He puts his phone face up on the table and tucks his bag under his chair. From here, Donghyuck can see Jaemin chatting pleasantly with the barista at the counter. He's up there long enough for Donghyuck to smooth his expression over into something more composed. It's as easy as putting on a mask. In another life, Donghyuck thinks he could have gone into the entertainment industry as something other than a vlogger. It's masks all the way down, some stronger and more palatable than others. 

Jaemin returns with a cup of something dark and iced and a mug with a latte for Donghyuck. Cat ears, whiskers, and a tiny smile are drawn into the foam on top. It's cute. Donghyuck averts his gaze. 

“So,” he starts, right as Jaemin clears his throat. Donghyuck deflates slightly and nods to let Jaemin speak first. 

“Do you want to decide on the menu for the first and final episodes together? Or have you already done that?” Jaemin asks. “Or we could start with just the first episode and go from there. See how people react.”

“I have a couple of ideas, but you're going to be there too, so you should get a say.” 

Donghyuck has a minimum of three potential menus for the first episode, pre-planned because researching recipes helped keep his mind off everything else. Productive procrastination is one of his specialties, and that brand of productivity increases as what he's avoiding becomes more stressful. He picked some of the habit and hyperfocus up from Mark. It's one of the reasons their friendship has lasted so long — they know when to pull each other out of a cycle and when to push back in. Mark isn't here, and it's easier for Donghyuck to stay in a loop when they're not in the same area code.

“Will we be baking?” Jaemin asks, eyes bright. 

Donghyuck blinks back into the conversation and glances at Jaemin before looking down at the table. “We can.”

“Okay, I like baking.”

Donghyuck taps on the screen of his phone. No notifications from Jeno or Jungwoo. He locks it and looks up at Jaemin. 

“We can bake. I can pick two things. I've got a couple of options,” Donghyuck says. 

“Would you want to try dalgona coffee too? I know everyone's doing it, but maybe it could be fun?”

Donghyuck doesn't see the appeal in straining his arms on camera, but Jaemin has a point. Everyone is doing it, and coffee would pair well with baked goods from his list. There's no sense in shooting down an idea just because he's in a shitty mood.

“Maybe.”

“I can bring the coffee,” Jaemin offers. “I don't drink instant coffee if I can help it, but I keep some for emergencies.” Whatever is in Jaemin's cup certainly looks stronger than most instant coffee.

“Unless you have some you'd rather use,” Jaemin continues. 

“What? No, that's fine. You can bring your own.” Donghyuck raises his mug to sip at his latte. It's the perfect temperature but Donghyuck can't taste anything. He puts the mug down.

“Okay. Do we need some space?” Jaemin asks. 

Donghyuck’s eyes slide back to Jaemin's. “Space?”

“I don't know about you, but my apartment is kind of small and the kitchen is even smaller,” Jaemin explains. 

“Right.”

“So if we're baking, we might need more space?” Jaemin's voice is gentle and patient. 

“Oh, right. Space.” Donghyuck takes another sip of his latte to buy some time. “Um, some of my friends have a bigger apartment and they cook a lot. I think they even have a double-wide refrigerator.”

“Would you mind asking them? I don’t know how much time you think we’ll need.”

“I think we would need three days,” Donghyuck says. One to cover prep for an overnight wait, one to finish baking, and one later for their last episode.

“Okay, if you think so. That makes sense.”

Donghyuck nods. 

“Should you ask them now?” Jaemin asks. “Ahead of time? Sooner rather than later so they have time to decide and all.”

“Right, I can do that. It shouldn't be a tough decision,” Donghyuck says, following up with, “Taeyong-hyung loves me” out of habit. 

Jaemin smiles but it doesn't reach his eyes, so Donghyuck busies himself with his phone. He taps out a quick message to Taeyong, asking if they can borrow his kitchen for two days, followed by a third day a few weeks later. He adds a cute sticker from a set Taeyong is partial to, even though he's pretty sure Taeyong isn't going to tell them no. 

His phone vibrates in his hands with a notification from Jeno: _I can buy you a new notebook!!_ Donghyuck swallows thickly. That's sweet, but not what he wanted to hear. The offer means they haven't found it. His fingers tremble as he locks his phone again. 

“Donghyuck?”

His head snaps up. “Yes?”

“Are you okay?”

“I'm fine,” Donghyuck says without hesitation. 

“Right, I'd like to take your word for it,” Jaemin says gently, “but you don't _look_ okay.”

“That's not a very nice thing to say to someone.”

“No, like, you look fine but you don't look — listen, Donghyuck, you don't have to tell me details because I know we don't really know each other well, but you've been kind of distracted all morning. I'm just asking.”

Donghyuck runs a hand through his hair and then presses the heels of his palms against his eyes to try to relieve some of the pressure there. He tries not to be a dick without reason, and he's not _not_ doing that now. Renjun's words echo in his head. If Donghyuck fucks this up and he and Jaemin can't get along, the next couple of weeks will be miserable.

“I lost my research journal,” Donghyuck says when he's certain he can say the words evenly. He leans back in his chair and folds his hands in his lap. 

“For?”

Donghyuck closes his eyes. “For my thesis. I have another evaluation this week. I'm supposed to have another chapter complete.” When he opens them again, Jaemin is looking back at him with a small frown. 

“An actual journal?”

“Yes.”

“Why do you have a physical journal and not —?”

“Because I have to!” 

Jaemin's tone has been gentle since he first voiced his concern, but Donghyuck can't stop himself from snapping. People outside of his department always ask and he always makes something up to get them to lay off because most of the time, the actual reason apparently isn't enough. 

“My professors and advisors said we had to. They grade it. I have so much information in my research journal, but I can't even remember where I last saw it because I carry it with me everywhere! I _always_ have it! And now I don't.”

“Hey, no, I wasn't asking so I could criticize you,” Jaemin says, pulling his bag into his lap and rummaging through it. 

Donghyuck snorts, which is dangerous because he feels a telltale itch near his eyes, signaling imminent danger. He picked the table in the corner so he could cry mostly unnoticed and unbothered if he had to, but that doesn't mean he actually wants to do that. 

“Aha!” Jaemin cries, quietly triumphant with his hand deep in his bag. “I was asking because, well, I know this doesn't help a lot but I have extra blank notebooks and maybe you could use one in the meantime?”

Jaemin pulls out three notebooks and sets them down, pushing them toward the center of the table. 

“Huh,” Jaemin says, and Donghyuck looks down and sees what caught Jaemin's attention. 

“I don't remember putting that in —”

“You! Where did you get that?” 

“I don't know?”

Donghyuck snatches his research journal out from between the two blank notebooks Jaemin had offered. He clutches it to his chest and takes a couple of deep breaths to stop the rattling in his chest. Donghyuck blinks rapidly to stave off tears of relief. He'll have to message Jeno and Jungwoo to tell them they can stop searching their apartments. He'd be embarrassed about almost crying, but he's too tired and too relieved to care about appearances. Donghyuck slumps forward and puts his journal down, but he doesn't take his hands off of it. 

“Um.”

Donghyuck tips his face up to look at Jaemin. “What?” 

“Donghyuck, I really don't know how that got into my bag. I have so much shit in here and you saw how deep I had to go to find one of those notebooks, let alone three. I haven't been able to find anything in my bag lately without feeling like I need a shovel so I can dig. I am so sorry. I don't know where —”

“The library,” Donghyuck says, straightening up in his seat and cutting Jaemin off.

“The what?”

“The first meeting — the table was covered in our stuff.”

“Oh no.” Jaemin's eyes go wide. “And I gave you my number and then swept a bunch of things into my bag without looking. And then I almost knocked the table over on my way out.”

“You did.”

“And you have an evaluation this week — if we had to reschedule today, I wouldn't have noticed I had it. I am _so_ sorry.” 

Jaemin looks horrified, dismay rapidly mounting. Donghyuck’s anxiety, which had started to ramp down with the discovery of his research journal, does a confused, empathetic about face and is in danger of exceeding his baseline once more. 

“I'm so sorry,” Jaemin repeats. 

“Jaemin —”

“That's so much work, would you have had to start over?”

“Jaemin, stop. It's fine now.” Donghyuck has to shut this down before it gets any worse. 

“Is it?” Jaemin asks, voice shrill. 

“I don't have to start over,” Donghyuck says slowly.

“You don't.”

“I have my research journal.”

“Yeah.”

“Are _you_ okay, Jaemin?”

Jaemin blinks hard and shakes his head. “Yeah, I am.”

“Are you sure? You don't look okay,” Donghyuck says. 

“That's not a very nice thing to — oh.” Jaemin's mouth draws down into a pout. 

“Exactly. You good?”

“Yeah,” Jaemin repeats. “You?”

“Better now, I think,” Donghyuck says, and he means it. Talking Jaemin down didn't take much effort but it still shifted his focus. Donghyuck's phone vibrates with a couple of messages from Taeyong, approval and enthusiasm in the form of emojis and cute stickers. “And we have a kitchen to use.”

Jaemin doesn't say a word about the way Donghyuck keeps one hand on his notebook for the rest of the time they spend at the café. He just drains his coffee faster than Donghyuck can finish half his latte and seems to consider ordering another. It feels like a competition Donghyuck wasn't aware he entered, and it's one he's not interested in winning, especially since the rapid caffeine intake appears to be further settling Jaemin's nerves. His stomach hurts a little just thinking about it, so he ignores Jaemin's coffee situation and pulls up a couple of recipes he'd bookmarked for future baking days, scrolling through to find some Jaemin might want to try. Donghyuck has three or four in mind and pushes his phone closer to the center of the table when Jaemin leans over to see. He leans close but stays out of Donghyuck's personal space.

The only thing Donghyuck can pick up on, even this close to him, is that Jaemin has more questions than he's asking. 

“If you send me the recipes, I'll read them more closely,” Jaemin says later as they're packing up. Donghyuck raises a brow and Jaemin's smile flickers. “I just want to study so I can be prepared.”

“This isn't a test,” Donghyuck says, not unkindly. 

“I still want to ace it,” Jaemin says. He waggles his brows and Donghyuck focuses on packing his bag so he doesn't roll his eyes. 

“You can't—”

“Maybe not. Send them anyway.”

“Fine.” Donghyuck unlocks his phone and sends Jaemin the links. “There.”

“Do you have everything?” Jaemin asks, biting his lip. There's a teasing sparkle in his eyes that, almost surprisingly, doesn't make Donghyuck want to punch him. 

“I have everything that belongs to me,” Donghyuck parries, and Jaemin’s face splits open with a wide grin. 

“Good. I'll see you later, then. I have recipes to memorize so I can recite them on camera.”

Donghyuck snorts. “Go home. Thanks for the latte.”


End file.
